Michael White started his career in 1973. He played with Los Angeles-based The Boyz, which line-up included Mick Brown and George Lynch (both of later Dokken fame), and he is credited as being a vocalist in early incarnations of London and Mötley Crüe.The Dirt: Confessions of the World's Most Notorious Rock Band, by Mötley Crüe and Neil Strauss (pp. 36&ndash;37), ISBN 0-06-098915-7

Michael White formed The White in 1977 with guitarist Lanny Cordola (of Giuffria, House of Lords). Though not exploiting Zeppelin material at first, the similitude with Led Zeppelin was so critical that he eventually decided to comply. The case was that White not only sang like Robert Plant but was actually an almost perfect look-alike. According to his official website, while on tour in Denver in 1983, he actually met Plant and was directed by him to contact Atlantic Records, which resulted in a US$350,000 record contract with the label and the release of his self-titled debut album in 1987, produced by Mack of Queen and Billy Squier fame. The cover picture amazed Led Zeppelin fans for the extraordinary resemblance between White and Plant.